Manchester United crashed out of the League Cup in stunning fashion on Wednesday night after losing 12-11 on penalties to fourth-tier side Grimsby Town. The game ended 2-2 in normal time before United suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history.
League Two outfit Grimsby stunned the Red Devils by going 2-0 ahead with just 15 minutes left, thanks to goals from Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren.
United fought back late as Bryan Mbeumo scored his first goal for the club and Harry Maguire headed in an equaliser in the 89th minute. However, Mbeumo missed the decisive penalty in the shootout, sealing United’s early exit and piling more pressure on under-fire manager Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese coach has already been under scrutiny after a poor start to the Premier League season. Last year, United finished 15th in what was their worst league campaign since their relegation in 1974.
This defeat now ends one of their best chances of winning silverware this season.
Amorim made eight changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Fulham at the weekend, but his team—stacked with expensive signings and international stars—failed to deliver.
New signing Benjamin Sesko made his first start following a £74 million move from RB Leipzig, while goalkeeper Andre Onana endured a nightmare performance.
Grimsby, facing United for the first time since 1948, made the most of the occasion. Vernam opened the scoring with a low shot past Onana in the 22nd minute before Warren doubled the lead after the United keeper failed to deal with a corner.
The hosts could have scored even more, as Cameron Gardner saw a goal ruled out for handball.
United tried to recover in the second half as Amorim brought on captain Bruno Fernandes, Mbeumo, and Matthijs de Ligt. Mbeumo gave United hope with a curling strike, and Maguire’s late header pushed the match to penalties.
United had chances to win it—Matheus Cunha saw his penalty saved at 4-4, and Sesko wasted a glorious stoppage-time opportunity. After a marathon shootout where both goalkeepers scored, Mbeumo struck the bar to hand Grimsby the victory.
Meanwhile, Brighton eased through with a 6-0 win over Oxford, with Stefanos Tzimas scoring twice on debut. Fulham and Everton also advanced after 2-0 victories against Bristol City and Mansfield.
